


Kiss Me on the Sidewalk (Take Away the Pain)

by BoomquieshaJ



Series: Two Punks in Love [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoomquieshaJ/pseuds/BoomquieshaJ
Summary: Travis takes care of Nolan as best he can.
Relationships: Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick
Series: Two Punks in Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588198
Comments: 18
Kudos: 158





	Kiss Me on the Sidewalk (Take Away the Pain)

**Author's Note:**

> For Mathie. This is not the mistletoe fic but you still owe Becks a drink.

It’s not that Travis doesn’t have friends, he does. He has his teammates, and his brother, and Lawson. He has games and practices and training. It’s not like he sits around and waits for Nolan to have a good day, when he can stand a little bit of light and sound. He doesn’t sit around waiting, but he also doesn’t pass up the opportunity when it comes. So when he gets a text from Nolan on an off night asking what he’s up to, he doesn’t hesitate to grab a deck of cards and jump on the elevator to the floor where Nolan’s apartment is.

“Hey Patty,” Travis says when Nolan answers the door. He looks like he’s just barely resurfaced from his Dark Days, as Travis has taken to calling them. There’s no color in his face, and he’s squinting as if it still hurts to be alive. Travis hates seeing him like this, feels helpless that there’s nothing he can do, but he’s long since learned not to mention it or react at all.

“Hey Teeks.” Nolan steps aside to let Travis through the door. His voice is an even lighter mumble than normal. “You bring your cards?”

“Of fucking course,” Travis says, careful not to be too loud or bump into Nolan on his way in. “You know I’m always prepared to kick your ass.”

“Too bad that’s not gonna happen,” Nolan says, teeth still gritted but voice a little closer to its usual timbre. The familiarity of their banter eases some of the tension Travis always carries after seeing Nolan for the first time after a Dark Day. He makes his way to the living room where there’s already a card table and two chairs set up.

Since Nolan still needs to stay away from screens and noise as much as possible, they can’t play video games or watch hockey like they might have normally done. So, the first time they hung out after Nolan’s migraines became a real problem, Travis brought over a deck of cards. It’s what he used to do with his grandma when he was younger. They’d sit together into the late hours of the night, playing different card games, talking about hockey, his grandma giving him advice and encouragement when he needed it. Travis doesn’t know of any other way he can help Nolan, so he gives him company and shares this piece of his childhood with him.

“Have you eaten,” Nolan asks, as Travis sits down and starts shuffling the cards. That’s Nolan’s way of saying that he’s hungry. Travis knows that he probably hasn’t been able to keep anything down for a couple of days. He doesn’t mention it, though.

“Indian?” He asks instead. Nolan just nods his head, pulling out his phone dialing the number to their favorite Indian place. He winces when the phone starts ringing in his ear, which makes Travis wince in turn, hoping to god that Nolan doesn’t notice.

“Who said I wanted to play Gin?” Nolan grumbles after he’s placed their order and settles at the table opposite Travis.

“I didn’t ask,” Travis responds cheekily. “Take your hand and prepare to lose, sucker.”

***

They play a few rounds of Gin, trading off wins, and make their way through some tandoori chicken, shrimp masala, basmati rice, and garlic naan. Travis is careful to make sure that it looks like he’s eating some, while still making sure he leaves enough for Nolan to have leftovers. Once they’ve eaten, they move to the couch and Nolan lays his head in Travis’ lap with his eyes closed.

This is the closest that Nolan will get to asking for what he needs, so Travis runs his fingers soothingly through Nolan’s hair.

Nolan’s situation is incredibly difficult, Travis knows. The hardest part, though, is that Nolan has to deal with it almost completely alone. When he has his Dark Days, all he can do is lay in his room with the curtains drawn and the lights out. Sometimes he has to go days at a time without any human contact. So Travis makes that a part of what he gives Nolan. He takes it upon himself to help Nolan in that way.

It’s a testament to how Travis feels for Nolan that he’s able to sit there silently for who knows how long. It’s really not in his nature to be still and silent for any period of time, but Nolan brings that out in him. Travis never thought of himself as a nurturing person, but he wants to take care of Nolan, to be the things that Nolan needs him to be.

“What are you thinking about?” Nolan asks, startling Travis.

“What?” Travis is a little dazed from being brought back to earth.

“Your fingers stopped moving,” Nolan says. “You zoned out there, Teeks?”

“Yeah I guess.” Travis shrugs.

“Well what are you thinking about?” Nolan asks again.

“How much I love you,” Travis teases with a sly smile. Nolan’s cheeks do the thing Travis isn’t allowed to mention, which only makes him smile bigger, more mischievous. Travis presses his finger to Nolan’s cheek, feels the warmth there for a second before Nolan swats his hand away.

“You’re an idiot,” Nolan groans. “Get out of my apartment.” He doesn’t move his head from Travis’ lap.

“I’m serious though,” Travis says softly, resuming his attention to Nolan’s hair. Nolan gives an almost inaudible sigh when Travis starts up again.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Nolan reaches his hand up to find Travis’, and Travis stops what he’s doing to take Nolan’s hand. Their fingers interlock automatically.

“You know I love you, too, right?” Nolan says quietly.

“I had an idea, yeah,” Travis answers with a grin. Nolan playfully squeezes Travis’ hand a little too hard at that. Travis just laughs at him.

Nolan unlinks their hands and sits up so he can look Travis in the eyes.

“Travis,” he says, in a tone that Nolan has only heard him use a few times. It’s clear, serious, not mumbled or said through gritted teeth. “I need you to know this-”

“Patty, I know,” Travis interrupts, with mock exasperation.

“No, let me say it,” Nolan says. “I see everything you do for me, and I know this isn’t easy for you. But when I’m feeling my worst, when I’m literally stuck in darkness, you’re the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Nolan-”

“I know I don’t say it often,” Nolan goes on, “but I need you to know that even when I’m not saying it, I’m feeling it. A lot.”

Travis just sits there stunned, staring into the eyes of this grumpy, easily irritated, brat of a man who he loves with every part of him. This man who apparently loves him back just as much. And it’s not that Travis didn’t already know this. They’ve done the “I love you” thing before. It was evident early on, and Travis has never been one to hide how he feels. But hearing Nolan say it like this. For him to call Travis his light. That makes it clear to Travis in a way that settles him and excites him at the same time.

“You gonna kiss me now or?” Nolan asks, back to his normal mumble, but with a twinkle in his eye.

Travis does.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: how cute would it be if Nolan and Travis played cards together since Nolan can't really play video games when his migraines are bad
> 
> Me, 2 hours later: ...I have made a huge mistake


End file.
